Google Confirms Gulf Of Mexico Renamed To Appease Trump – But Only In The US

Updated Google has changed the name of the Gulf of Mexico on Google Maps to comply with a Donald Trump whim – but only for American users.

The Mountain View megacorp had already signaled a couple of weeks ago that it would fall in line with an executive order from the newly inaugurated president to officially rename the body of water bounded by Mexico and the US to the Gulf of America.

Now the Chocolate Factory has confirmed in an online update that it has made the alteration, however, Google has arranged it so that anyone connecting to Google Maps from the US sees "Gulf of America," while those in the rest of the world see "Gulf of Mexico," with the Trump-decreed moniker in brackets.

Maps users in Mexico will continue to see the stretch of water labeled as the Gulf of Mexico.

"In the US, the Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) has officially updated 'Gulf of Mexico' to 'Gulf of America'," Google says in its posting.

"People using Maps in the US will see 'Gulf of America,' and people in Mexico will see 'Gulf of Mexico.' Everyone else will see both names."

Don't be evil... to our shareholders. Let's keep everyone happy, including the head of the Western world.

Google says the labels users will see for the Gulf of Mexico are based on their country location. If you are looking at Google Maps in a browser, the names are based on the region you select in your Search settings or your device's location. For mobile users, location is determined by where the phone thinks it is, typically based on what network it is connected to.

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Through judicious use of a VPN, we were able to confirm that the label you see for that body of water is now different for American users compared to European users.

The view outside the US, top, and the view from within

Whether this really matters is up for debate. It has obviously wasted staff time at Google to make the changes show in its app, but the names for places often differ depending on where you are in the world. For example, the English Channel, the stretch of water separating the UK and France, is known as La Manche in France.

Trump's antics have sparked some humorous responses, with someone posting on Facebook that the Gulf of Mexico should be renamed to the Gulf of Canada, while the Danes have got in on the act and suggested it be renamed to the Gulf of Denmark in honor of the Vikings who are claimed to be the first Europeans to set foot in America.

Back on dry land, El Reg notes that Florida is known both as the Sunshine State and the Orange State. The latter tag is because of its orange groves and juice industry, and not because of its most famous resident. For now at least. ®

Updated to add

Now Apple is renaming the Gulf of Mexico to Gulf of America in its Maps app. Microsoft and MapQuest have yet to update.